Consequences
by slytherinsal
Summary: Expanded from one of the whimsical drabbles. When Harry reckons that being chosen for the Triwizard has nullified his contract with Hogwarts and expelled him, he strikes a deal with Karkaroff, to Dumbledore's horror. Not to be taken seriously, just enjoy the anarchy and mayhem.


**Triwizard? Bozhe moi!**

**Previously known as:**

**Inactions have consequences. The start of this may be found in 'Harry Potter and the Whimsical Drabbles' and owing to popular demand I have expanded it. **

"Professor Karkaroff, I appear to have been expelled from Hogwarts School by Dumbledore's refusal to get me out of the competition," said Harry. "As I am without a school, and embarrassed by the lack of support of my innocence in entering my name, may I have the hospitality of your ship until the blasted Triwizard is over? Then I would like to transfer to your school. Your pupils seem like good sorts, which is more than I can say for the Beauxbatons crowd who are as stuck up as Malfoy."

"Harry, my boy, you cannot ..."

"Oh but I can, indeed I must, Professor Dumbeldore," said Harry. "You expelled me, and I find that embarrassing, so I must seek succour elsewhere. I could go and live in Hogsmeade, I suppose, except during the tasks."

"Nonsense, my boy, I didn't expel you," said Dumbledore, crossly.

"Yes you did," said Harry. "One competitor per school. When you agreed with my name coming out, you told me that [a] I am an adult and [b] I am not from Hogwarts school. Had you found a way around it, you would not find yourself in this position. Headmaster Karkaroff, will you take me?"

"If you will protect me from the Dark Lord," said Karkaroff.

"It's a deal," said Harry. "Professor Dumbledore seems to think I'm a weapon to aim at him, and as your school teaches the Dark Arts, I might actually learn enough to understand how to defeat him when I am grown up."

"Harry, you will go dark!" Dumbledore was panicking.

"If it keeps me alive, like I care?" said Harry.

Dumbledore passed out.

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"I have done terrible things. I ratted out the other death eaters to save my own skin. Bozhe moi, I am a coward. But I have been in charge of young lives many years now, and I am repenting of what I did. I will swear wizard's oath for you if you want," said Karkaroff, when Harry was safely installed on the ship.

"Well if Dumbledore can forgive Snape, I don't see why I can't forgive you, if you need it, or at least put my trust in you as far as our mutual desires to see Voldemort dead forever go," said Harry. "I'm going to need to contact my godfather. I would like, as an act of good faith on your part, for you to see if you can get him cleared of the murders he was fitted up for, by the ICW."

"If he was fitted up, I am sure it can be arranged," shrugged Karkaroff. "Sirius Black; a powerful wizard. It is in my interests to have him on my side, or at least working with me on a mutually beneficial aim."

00000000000000000000000000000000

"Padfoot, will you calm down?" Harry had briefly explained the situation.

"But he's a death eater!" whined Padfoot.

"Which we know in advance," said Harry. "Sirius, what sort of magic did you learn from your family?"

"Dark, of course," scoffed Sirius.

"And are you dark?"

"No, of course not, I'm too strong minded."

"Do you think I'm weak-minded then to go dark like Dumbledore says I am going to go?"

"Of course not, pup! You're like James, straight as a die!"

"Well, then! I'm not going dark, and Karkaroff has promised to try to get you cleared by the ICW, which is more than Dumbledore has ever done. He could have got you a trial, but he prefers having me back with the Dursleys to be cowed, and I'm not going to do it. I am not 'his boy', and I am sick of every year having to be tested by his schemes and nearly dying."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, facing a Voldemort-possessed teacher in the first year when going after the Philosopher's stone, the Basilisk in the second year ..."

"Hold on, pup, I don't know any of those stories."

"Right. Well, perhaps you'd better come and meet Karkaroff and I'll fill you both in on what my life has been courtesy of _Professor_ Dumbledore, because I've stopped trusting in him," said Harry.

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It would be fair to say that Padfoot's hackles were up when he met Karkaroff. And with anyone else, that would have been a cliché.

"I'm ready to swear whatever oath you want, Black, to keep out of the hands of the Dark Lord," said Karkaroff. "Dumbledore agreed that someone wants Mr. Potter dead, and he did it with such a gleeful look on his face, _moi Bog_, it was frightening that a little boy, my apologies, Mr. Potter, but you are a little boy, should be in the hands of someone who was unconcerned about this."

"If Harry hadn't already hinted at some disturbing things, I would be dismissing that out of hand; but I want to hear his life history."

"I think Professor Karkaroff should hear it too," said Harry, quietly. "I don't want to talk about this, but if I don't, you won't know why I feel as I do."

He spoke without stopping for about two hours, Karkaroff shaking his head at Sirius when Sirius wanted to leap in. Karkaroff passed him a pad and pencil to make notes to ask questions later. Harry appreciated it.

"I think I am going to wring Dumbledore's scrawny neck," growled Sirius. "From the first petrification, and the mention of Slytherin, it was obviously a basilisk; couldn't be anything else. And McGonagall should have noticed what was going on, and the girl's brothers certainly should have done."

"Yes, the Weasley twins disappointed me in that, though they are keen to know Marauders," said Harry. "It's only them, Neville and Hermione who are standing by me for this decision, and Dumbledore is making it hard for me to speak to them."

"Perhaps they would like to transfer too," said Karkaroff.

"Hermione is muggleborn," said Harry.

"Er." Said Karkaroff. "A blood test; if she descends from squibs, she is a pure blood."

"Professor Karkaroff, don't all muggle born descent from squibs?" asked Harry.

"I don't know, but Viktor considers her a superior student," said Karkaroff.

"Why did you join the death eaters?" asked Sirius.

"To stop our world being changed by the uneducated mudbloods who had no understanding of ritual and so declared it 'dark' because of things like blood wards, of course," said Karkaroff.

"But Dumbledore set blood wards at the Dursleys to supposedly keep me safe," said Harry.

Karkaroff and Sirius exchanged a look which showed that the bad feeling between them was suddenly subsumed in mutual understanding.

"The hypocrite!" cried Sirius. "And he wants to use Grimmauld Place for the order of the fried chicken, and asked me to remove the heavier wards!"

"I hope you haven't," said Harry.

"No, I haven't, as he gave no reason to reform the Order of the Phoenix, and I couldn't be arsed. I don't think it would be safer under fidelius; moving into Godric's Hollow under fidelius got your parents killed."

"Sirius; is there a chance Dumbledore knew in advance you had switched secret keepers, and that Pettigrew was the spy? Did he set up my parents to die, having left some protection ritual with my mother in the hopes that killing me would also kill Voldemort and buy time?" asked Harry. "Having me live to be his weapon being a bonus?"

Sirius stared.

"I won't say you're wrong to guess that," he said, slowly. "But it's hard to come to terms with it. James trusted Dumbledore absolutely."

It was almost an accusation.

"Perhaps my father was a better man than me, to put blind faith in someone. I can only go on how Dumbledore has impacted on my life, including robbing me of a home with my godfather."

"He's your sworn godfather, da?" asked Karkaroff.

"Yes," said Harry.

"Then how could anyone think he was guilty? To break oath to you, it would kill him," said Karkaroff. "Did Dumbledore know?"

"He knew." Volcano Sirius was starting to erupt. "He KNEW."

"Calmly, Padfoot, you don't want to go back to Azkaban for doing something rash," said Harry. "You're a Black. Blacks don't get mad, they get even."

Sirius gave a maniacal chuckle.

"Quite right, pup," he said.

"I haff never thought you put your name in ze goblet, Harry," said Viktor Krum, earnestly. "No youth your age would expect to be able to complete zis competition, and only stupid boy would do it. You are seeker, and seekers never stupid."

Harry had to admit that Malfoy was daft, but academically at least not stupid.

"I wonder if you would take letters for me to my friends?" he asked. "I am afraid of what Dumbledore might do if I go back to the school."

"But certainly," said Viktor. "You vill be my little brother here, and I vill protect you. Vill you mind if I romance Hermoninny? She is pretty."

"I ... no, please do, you're much better for her than Ron, who is a selfish git," said Harry.

Viktor returned with four letters.

Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Surely the twins did not write one each?"

"No, I was approached by a girl with blonde hair who said she knows you forgot to write to her, but she replied anyway," he said.

"Luna!" said Harry. "Well, maybe she'd like to come to Durmstrang too."

He opened Luna's letter first. It was short and to the point.

_Dear Harry Potter,_

_Thank you for inviting me. I have written to daddy to ask him if I may transfer to Durmstrang with you. I will talk to Hermione about a blood test._

_Luna."_

"She really is weird, but in a good way," said Harry.

He opened Hermione's next.

"_Dear Harry, _

_Whilst I did not approve at first of what you did by speaking up to Professor Dumbledore like that, I cannot say that I disapprove now, as his interest in you has gone beyond the concern of a head teacher to something quite pathological. I am beginning to be afraid of him, and if Professor Karkaroff thinks I can really prove descent from squibs to make me eligible, I am considering writing to my parents to ask for a transfer. Ron has been awful and he has also been trying to touch me up, especially in front of Viktor, claiming that I am his girl, which I am not, as I have said. Please see if a blood test can be arranged on the Hogsmeade weekend, I do not know how much longer I can take this, Lavender and Parvati are calling me horrid names, and I had a howler from Molly Weasley, accusing me of driving you to the dark. I couldn't bear Hogwarts without you, Harry._

_Hermione."_

"I am going to kill some people," ground out Harry. "Well, I'm going to black Ron's eyes."

"May I hit your friend when he embarrasses Hermininny?" asked Viktor.

"Be my guest," said Harry. "It's Herm-eye-oh-nee by the way. It's Greek; isn't Bulgarian related to Greek?"

"Ah! Of course, now I know what the name is, because I can see it in Greek letters and cyrillics," said Viktor. "I could not understand it from your English letters."

"Glad you have it now," said Harry.

Neville's letter next.

"_Dear Harry, _

_Thank you for writing such a full explanation. I have forwarded your letter to my gran. I do not expect she would ever let me join you at Durmstrang, but I hope she might learn not to trust Dumbledore so much. Potters and Longbottoms have always been friends, though, and I support you._

_Neville."_

The twins' letter was hard to read, being literally written by both at once, but they gave Harry support. He knew they would never have permission to go to Durmstrang, so had not asked, but he told them he would send back the map before he left.

Well, if Hermione and Luna joined him, it would make a lot of difference. Hermione would have to learn pure bred etiquette but then, so would he. And Luna was clever enough to move up a year.

Somehow he knew she was already working to do so.

Molly blinked to receive a red envelope from Harry's distinctive white owl. She took it in outrage that the boy she had given so much to should send her a howler. She opened it, waiting to send one back in reply to whatever nonsense the boy had written.

"MRS. WEASLEY, HOW DARE YOU SEND A HOWLER TO HERMIONE OVER MY DECISION WHICH SHE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH! YOU ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF HER HAVING NO MAGICAL RELATIVES TO PROTECT HER FROM YOUR ASSAULT, WELL SHE IS UNDER THE PROTECTION OF HOUSE POTTER AND HOUSE BLACK AND ANY FURTHER INFRACTIONS WILL SEE LEGAL ACTION! AS FOR GOING DARK, I AM NO MORE GOING DARK THAN ANYONE TRYING TO AVOID BEING KILLED, I HAVE NO INTENTION OF LETTING VOLDEMORT KILL ME AND IF THAT TAKES RUNNING AWAY TO DURMSTRANG, WELL YOU ARE THE ONE WHO ALWAYS SAYS CHILDREN SHOULD BE PROTECTED, GUESS THAT DOESN'T APPLY IF IT'S YOUR FUCKING PRECIOUS CHOSEN ONE, DOES IT! RON IS BUSY TELLING LIES ABOUT ME AT SCHOOL SO I EXPECT IF HE SAID ANYTHING TO YOU IT IS ALSO A LIE, SO IF YOU CARE TO ASK THE TWINS THE TRUTH, YOU WILL KNOW TO APOLOGISE IN WRITING TO BOTH HERMIONE AND ME, AND IF YOU DO NOT, THEN YOU MAY EXPECT MY SOLICITOR TO CONTACT YOU. YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO CENSURE ME, OR MY FRIENDS, YOU ARE NOT MY MOTHER, THANK GOODNESS, MY MOTHER WASN'T AN ABUSIVE OLD BESOM LIKE YOU!"

"Well really!" said Molly. "An apology? I've nothing to apologise for."

She was going to be very surprised when she was later summonsed for abuse of the last member of a noble house when she sent a howler back to Harry, accusing him of ingratitude. Harry sent the memory of the howler to Ted Tonks, with a request that he act for him, and Ted was glad to do so. He remembered Molly Prewett from school.

"Well, my lads, you're facing dragons," said Karkaroff. "Nesting mothers, and you have to get a golden egg from amongst the clutch."

"Dragons? Nesting mothers? Whose insane idea was this?" asked Harry.

Karkaroff shrugged.

"It is supposed to be a dangerous competition."

"That's beyond dangerous! And what about the risk to the eggs? Dragons are endangered species, aren't they?" asked Harry.

"It's insane, but what part of anything that old man does to you is not insane?" said Karkaroff with a shrug.

"Sir, do dragons speak parseltongue?" asked Harry.

Karkaroff narrowed his eyes. Harry had admitted to the skill when speaking of the basilisk.

"You are a parselmouth, Harry?" asked Viktor. "I am impressed."

"Makes a difference to everyone declaring me dark for it," said Harry.

"I don't know if they do or not. What was your plan?" asked Karkaroff in answer to Harry's question.

"Well, it might be cheating," said Harry.

"I think all bets are off where fairness is concerned," said Karkaroff. "You shouldn't even be in the contest, it should have been ended somehow, and re-run with the older ones. Tell me your thoughts."

"I thought if I could speak to the dragons, I could explain what was going on, and ask them to let the contestants get the eggs with a bit of a show put on, but no serious intent to harm, but, I will speak to the one I am against because they all think I'm dark anyway."

Karkaroff nodded.

"Follow me," he said.

Karkaroff led Viktor and Harry into the Forbidden Forest where dragon enclosures had been set up.

_Ssss ladies, do you understand me?ssss _

_Ssss you have a strange accent but we understand ssssss _

_Ssss I am sorry, I have spoken to snakes before but I have not had the opportunity to speak to so magnificent people as yourselves. sssss_

_Ssss he's quite the flatterer, isn't he girls? Shall we listen?ssss_

_Ssss we canalways lisssten. ssssss_

_Sss thank you, ladies. I am sure you are all nervous and wondering why you are here, and I am angry on your behalf, because it is just for a stupid competition. When you are led out to the place where many two-legs will be, four of us are supposed to survive removing an alien egg from amongst your own eggsss. ssssss_

_Ssss that is truly wrong! sssss_

_Sssss yes, mighty mother, it is, but if you will let the two-legs who come to get the eggs, I am one, and my friend here is another, and there are two more, and just put on a display, then hopefully nobody will be hurt. If the others try to hurt you, then you must protect yourselves, but my friend here and I will not try to hurt you."ssssss_

_sssssVery well. We hear you and will not hurt you or your freindssssss.  
_

"I have promised we will not hurt them, and they will not hurt us," said Harry to Viktor.

"Is good; all I could think of was conjunctivitis curse," said Victor.

"That would have hurt," said Harry. "And might have risked having the eggs trampled. Will you mind telling Cedric what the task is? I am sure he would not want to hurt the dragons, but I don't think he would understand about cutting a deal with them."

"I will tell him you asked me to tell him what the task is," said Viktor. "If he thinks to ask about you being a Parselmouth, I tell him more. If not, not."

Harry nodded. That was fair enough.

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When the champions met in the tent, Cedric gave Harry a nod and a smile. Harry had drawn to go last, and of course against the biggest dragon, the Hungarian Horntail. But then, he had negotiated with her.

There were shrieks from the stands as Fleur went; then sporadic cheers and chants for Cedric; then Viktor went out, and Harry heard him summon his broom. Viktor was a showman, like all seekers, and he had drawn the Chinese fireball. Harry wished he could see what was going on, but Viktor had muttered something about circus tricks.

And then Harry was being summoned.

_Sssss what are you going to do, little one?ssssss _

_Ssss I thought I would pretend to hypnotise you to sleep. sssss_

_Ssss be careful I do not roast you with laughter! sssssss_

_Sssss you are feeling sleepy ...sssss_

_Ssss no, but let us play this silly game anyway...Sssssssss_

She put her head down and began snoring, pouring out smoke and steam. Harry stepped over to the nest and picked up the golden egg, and strolled nonchalantly out.

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The red haired menace lumbered into the medical tent.

"Mate, that was amazing!" he yelled.

Harry screamed like a little girl.

"Help! Get the madman out of here!" he screeched.

Viktor obliged, frogmarching Ron out.

"Hey! Harry's my best mate!" yammered Ron.

Viktor picked him up by the robes at the neck.

"A bit of news for you, ridiculous little boy. Best friends not accuse friends of lying, nor tell lies about dem. You lost chance to be friends with Harry."

"Uhh, right. Can I have your autograph?"

"I zink the English phrase is 'in your stinking dreams,'" said Viktor.

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"I have got the ICW moving over the matter of your godfather," said Karkaroff. "So far only the Russian papers have taken it up, but give it time."

"What did the Russian papers say?"

"Well, Koldoovsto Pravda said 'Zhil bil kord kordato, pre Neyom blocka zhilya'."

"Er ..."

"It stinks. Now Sobaisvestia says 'Ya ido kuda saam tsar idiot peskom.'"

"Er?"

"It stinks."

"How did you get the papers to get to it so quickly?"

"I have a friend in Minsk, who has a friend in Pinsk, whose friend in Omsk has friend in Tomsk has friend in Akmolinsk."

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_(A/N I could not resist quoting from the song as well as changing the publications appropriately to Magical Truth and Owl-delivered Messages. Ten points and an exeat to Hogsmeade to anyone who gets the reference and remember it is not plagiarised it is research.)_

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Viktor went to the ball with Hermione, and Harry went with Luna, which was more or less understood by everyone except Ginny Weasley who was dressed and ready for Harry, and waiting for him to show up outside Gryffindor Tower. She was still waiting when Snape did his rounds. This was a rather embarrassing interlude for Ginny, who was told off scathingly that third years were only invited if older students had asked them, and standing there like a street walker offering her wares – he stared pointedly at Ginny's daringly altered gown with too much on display - was not likely to get her a partner as everyone had gone in to the ball already.

"But ... but I'm waiting for Harry Potter!" squeaked Ginny.

"Why? He already has a partner, and is dancing with her, if their efforts could be described as 'dancing' without violating the laws of the English language," sneered Snape. "Did he ask you?"

"Well, he didn't have to, he and I are destined to be together, Mum is arranging a marriage contract," said Ginny.

"If I were you, Miss Weasley, I would advise your mother of the laws on line theft. Potter may not know what it means to live in the wizarding world but his godfather, with all his faults, does, and crossing a member of the Black family is never pretty," said Snape.

"Eep!" said Ginny, and fled.

Snape wandered back into the ballroom.

"Potter! I want a word with you," he said.

Harry excused himself and followed the professor warily.

"I don't like you," said Snape. "I don't like Karkaroff but his heart isn't in it as a death eater. Keep him tied up with promises, and advise the mutt that Molly Weasley is trying to get a betrothal contract for you, and it's not legal unless Black signs it. Actually, you could make a case that Fudge has declared you adult so it's not legal unless you sign it."

"Why are you telling me this?" asked Harry.

"You gave me the Christmas present of leaving Hogwarts; call it a return gift," said Snape.

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Harry visited the Lovegoods over Christmas, and went with them to Gringotts to ask if he was, indeed, adult, since being made to compete in an adult competition.

"Indeed, My Lord, and we have your rings for you and your betrothed," said Griphook.

Harry's eyes narrowed.

"Any betrothal contract between me and Miss Weasley is illegal," he said.

"You misunderstand, my lord; the ring insisted on coming with the lord ring, so there is someone magic considers to be your betrothed," said Griphook. "Please put on the lord's ring, and then..." Harry did so, and the other ring leaped onto Luna's finger.

She did not look surprised.

"You may snog me later, my lord," she said, demurely. "Now, I shan't have to be dangled in cold water by blibbering humdingers."

Hermione also had a blood test, to the bemusement of her parents, and discovered that she counted as a pure blood witch. Karkaroff had spoken to her parents, and had actually been very frank about his own mistaken involvement with Voldemort, and his desire to keep his students safe, rather than testing them to temper them into weapons, the way Dumbledore was doing. Hermione, fortunately, had been frank with her parents about everything that had happened, and her friendship with Harry had been about all that had stopped them pulling her out of school. Transferring to the northern reaches of Germany or Poland, the wizarding borders being different to modern muggle ones, was really no worse than having her in Scotland, when magical forms of transport were taken into account.

Meanwhile, the ICW had picked up on the Russian, and subsequently, Bulgarian, accounts about Sirius Black, and a rush trial was organised on a day which coincidentally meant that Dumbledore had already declared prior interest in opening the new year sessions of the Wizengamot.

Sirius demanded any kind of truth detection they wanted to use on him, which involved veritaserum and a spell called the truth-cauldron of Baba Yaga. Sirius told the truth about Pettigrew, the change of secret keepers, and the intimate details of seventeen female contemporaries before he was stopped.

Shortly after he left the ICW, cleared of all charges, and a direction from that court to the Wizengamot to strike all charges in Britain against him or face fines for contempt of an international court. This was just in time to stop Dumbledore directing Fudge to have the Durmstrang ship searched for the fugitive Black, and thus averted a nasty international incident.

Sirius meanwhile promptly signed up to teach geomancy as a new skill at Durmstrang. He would show them how he had used ley lines to navigate more rapidly out of Azkaban and how to make magical maps like the Marauders' map. Harry and Hermione were looking forward to it, and when the Weasley twins heard, they begged to be adopted as Potters so they could go too.

"I'm not sure if I can," said Harry. "Or if I should."

The twins exchanged glances.

"Mum's a nutter," said Fred.

"Ronniekins is a git," said George.

"Ginny is a silly thing at the moment, we hope she'll improve," said Fred.

"Perce is a pain in the erse" said George.

"Bill and Charlie and Dad are cool," said Fred.

"But they'd tell us to stand by you and protect you," said George.

A few oaths later, and Fred and George Potter would also be going to Durmstrang, and had their own vault set up from the main Potter vault to pay for it.

"Pity the robes clash with the hair," said Hermione.

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Viktor negotiated very fast with the Grangers to enter into an open ended betrothal with Hermione, which she could break without penalty, explaining that this made him her magical guardian, and therefore able to sue the arse off any twinkly-eyed old fool who tried to put her in danger.

He had a betrothal ring made which was, like the Potter ring, a portkey to draw his betrothed to safety.

As both Hermione and Luna went missing when strolling in the grounds not long before the second task, Viktor and Harry were very glad of their rings. They retrieved their beloveds using the rings, and had Dobby replace them with golems which would turn back into dead fish after having been exposed to cold water for an hour. Dobby was, of course, going to Durmstrang with Lord Harry Potter, sir.

The second task consisted of Viktor and Harry lounging about under magically powered muggle sun lamps, deigning to help Fleur when she turned up distraught because she could not help her sister.

The girls' father was not best pleased at having the life of his younger daughter risked when she had not signed up for a stupid competition. Diplomatic relations between France and Britain were strained, for the reckless endangerment of the daughter of the French Minister of Magic. Dumbledore was going to be paying a very heavy fine.

Ted Tonks turned up the next morning and served Minerva McGonagall and Albus Dumbledore with writs for attempted line theft as it had been McGonagall who had lured them in for a drugged cup of tea.

"Surely Harry disnae see it as line theft!" cried McGonagall. "It's only for the competition, forebye."

"Madam McGonagall, when the last of the line of Dagworth Granger and Scarpin, and the last of the line of Lovegood are placed in jeopardy, this is attempted line theft on itself, without taking into account the betrothed wives of houses Potter, Black and Krum," said Ted, coldly. "You did not so much as seek permission from their guardians."

"Weel, ye canna get a straight answer from Xeno Lovegood, and Miss Granger's parents being muggles have nae say in the matter, since I am her magical guardian. And the headmaster said it was quite in order."

"And you don't consider it common courtesy to ask them? You are not her magical guardian by the way. That's Mr. Krum, her betrothed. And he's not averse to dragging this all over the magical press. And Xeno Lovegood owns his own press and he is furious. As is Lord Potter, who is also Heir Black, with regards to his own betrothed."

Minerva went white.

She gave up Dumbledore, citing that he had informed her that she needed no more permission than his. For information laid, the charges against her were withdrawn.

Dumbledore raged, and then sent for Harry.

Karkaroff, Krum and Sirius turned up as well.

"This wasn't a public meeting," said Dumbledore, who was seething that Snape had refused to join him.

"It is if you want to talk to Harry," said Sirius.

"Well! I have to tell you that Harry is vital for the war effort against Voldemort ..."

"Lord Potter," said Harry. "I do not advance you the right to use my name."

"My boy..."

"I am not your boy. Do you have anything pertinent to say?"

"Horcruxes!" yelped Dumbledore. "Voldemort made horcruxes! I have been gathering information about where to seek them."

"Sirius, you'd better floo the DMLE; they will be interested that the headmaster of Hogwarts is concealing evidence which could lead to the apprehension of a criminal at large," said Harry. "Protecting a terrorist like Voldemort by concealing that information is a very serious charge, Mr. Dumbledore, but I am sure we are all pleased that you have come clean."

"But ... but I though you would like to help me search for them ..."

"Are you insane? I'm a schoolboy. Even if I were the same age as the other contestants, searching for something which makes Sirius look sick is not what I should be doing. Leave it to the experts!"

As Sirius had raised Amelia Bones, who came through and started questioning Dumbledore, the headmaster had little choice but to comply. He might confund Amelia, but not in front of several hard-eyed wizards.

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As the false Moody tried to kidnap Harry in the maze to take him to Little Hangleton, Harry was glad that his Lordship ring also had a safe haven portkey on it, as well as a spell reflecting any offensive magic. Wormtail and Barty Junior had to make do with an offering of blood from Barty as well as Wormtail's hand, and their lord was not pleased.

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Durmstrang was a bleak and forbidding pile. The homecoming of the champion was met with mixed feelings; Viktor Krum had won and Harry had been on track to do so before being kidnapped.

"You think you and your friends are tough enough to survive Durmstrang, do you, Potter?" asked one boy, in the German which was the official language of the school. Harry and friends had, of course, used magic to learn the basics as well as using it with Viktor and friends.

"I was wondering if Durmstrang was tough enough to survive me, actually," said Harry, mildly.

"Very funny," sneered the boy. "You will not have it soft here like you have at Hogwarts, I assure you."

Harry widened his eyes.

"Really?" he said, sounding worried. "So what do you test your firsties on if wrestling a troll is too soft? How can you get a more dangerous class of beast than a basilisk for second year and dementors for the third? I admit the Triwizard was less taxing a task for the fourth year, but then I get on fine with dragons. The whole crazy Dark Lord trying to kill me is a little taxing though."

The boy stared.

"You are lying," he said.

Harry narrowed his eyes, and slowly drew his wand.

"I swear on my magic I am telling truth," he said. Magic swirled a golden glow. "Hermione and another boy and I wrestled a troll in our first year as well as sundry other tests. In the second, I fought a basilisk with a sword. It was big. In the third year I learned a patronus charm and drove back the massed dementors who invaded the school grounds." He cast the lumos spell, and the sneering boy was white-faced and open mouthed.

"I ... I apologise," he said. "And the girl ... she has also done this?"

"She fought the troll with me, and did the research to help me kill the basilisk. Unfortunately she was petrified when spying on it using a mirror. She was with me when we faced the dementors. She is smart and brave, and she is my best friend so you would offend me as much as you would offend Viktor if you irritated her, and I would fight you for it. Equally I would fight you for offending my betrothed, who is a seer. Just because she has an odd way of describing the things she sees does not make them unreal. You could learn a lot about yourself and others in listening to her. If you are capable of understanding. As to my adopted family members, who are also under the protection of House Black, they will give as good as they get. Do we have an understanding?"

"We do," said the boy. He might have been as much of a blood snob as Draco Malfoy, but unlike Draco Malfoy, he had been to Durmstrang. And in Durmstrang, one learned that who one's father was might be important, but only if the offspring of an important father could comport himself in a way which suggested he deserved an illustrious parent. The noble father of a Durmstrang youth expected his son to be taught to be worthy. And if this included ridicule and humiliation from someone personally more powerful, either the heir would learn, or he could be quietly disowned. If he learned, he was worthy of taking revenge later. If he did not learn, he would deserve all he got. Draco Malfoy would not have handled Durmstrang as well as Luna would have done, even without the support. For Luna could endure.

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To say that Dumbledore was furious was to understate matters. He had lost control of the Boy-who-lived entirely.

It was as well that there was a spare.

When the holidays had started, Dumbledore made a visit to Longbottom Manor, explained to Augusta and Neville that there was a prophecy which might relate to Neville or Harry, and as Harry had plainly gone dark, it must mean Neville.

"And what prophecy is that?" asked Augusta.

"I don't think I should really ..."

"Well, we can go to the Hall of Prophecies for Neville to retrieve it," said Augusta. "And if retrieving it sends him insane because you are wrong, you may expect to receive the full rigor of the law from me."

Dumbledore went pale, and repeated the prophecy.

"Gran," said Neville, "I am not going to be that man's puppet. I want to go to Durmstrang with Harry. And Harry is not dark, just scared of being used as a weapon. I'm scared of being used as a weapon."

"You won't be," said Augusta, grimly. "Very well, I will contact Karkaroff."

"But ..." said Dumbledore.

It was as far as he got, as Augusta activated the wards and excluded him from them. Dumbledore picked himself up from the dust of a county lane and looked in vain for Longbottom Manor.

"I want a wand that man can't trace," said Neville.

His grandmother regarded him.

"There is a wandmaker called Gregorovitch," she said.

A few days later, Neville was a little stunned to have blown out the front of Gregorovitch's shop for not knowing his own magical strength with a wand that suited him and sheepish that the repair spell turned the timber uprights into living trees.

"Moi Bog!" said Gregorovitch. "The little wizard does not know his own strength. The only wand I have ever made with a vegetable core, I foresee you confusing your enemies, tovarisch."

"I feel as though I could grow a forest from a handful of seeds," said Neville.

"da, da, of course, but not in my shop or in the town. Go away little wizard and grow your forest and teach it to fight your enemies but not here," said Gregorovitch, hurrying out Augusta, Neville and an oaken wand with a devil's snare core.

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Harry was delighted to hear from Neville that he would be joining his other friends at Durmstrang.

He was less delighted to have a reporter, fortunately not Rita Skeeter, who was currently occupying a terrarium set up for her by Hermione, leap in front of him.

"Mr. Potter! There are claims that you were kidnapped from the competition for a ceremony to revive You-Know-Who! Is this true?"

"Who?" asked Harry, feeling perverse.

"You-know-who!"

"No, I don't know who," said Harry. "Do you mean Voldemort? If so, say so. It's only a name. Voldemort, Voldemort, Voldemort. See?" as the reporter flinched horribly. "Sounds like an onomatopoeic representation of a train on the track if you say it fast," he added. "What was the question again?"

"I ... er wanted to know if you were kidnapped to bring back V ... V... HIM."

Harry decided to have pity and not press the Voldemort point. He shrugged.

"I have no idea," he said. "I used certain artefacts pertaining to my lordship of House Potter to take me to safety when I was kidnapped so I barely saw what was going on. It's why I'm leaving England; clearly I am not safe here. I will portkey in for such sessions of the Wizengamot I need to attend, but otherwise I will use a proxy."

"Why have you taken your lordship early?" the reporter was sidetracked.

"I didn't take it; it was forced upon me by being made to compete in the Triwizard, presumably by the madman posing as one of my teachers who wanted to kidnap me. If that was to revive Voldemort, it is a matter for the DMLE not me."

"But you are the Boy-Who-Lived!"

"Yes, and I am not about to disrespect the sacrifice my parents made to assure my survival by letting Mouldyshorts try to kill me. Why should I? I'm fourteen. Why should a kid have to deal with an evil wannabe dictator fifty years my senior? If you're so effing keen on having him dealt with, why don't you go after him?"

"But ... but I wouldn't know how," said the reporter.

"Well, congratulations; you know how I feel about it then," said Harry. "Add to that lack of training and knowledge the concept of still being a kid who is targeted by the nutter and you'll see why I don't want to have anything to do with Dumbledore pushing me into places where I'm going to confront him. If you ask me, Dumbledore didn't defeat Grindlewald at all but stole the thunder of whoever did, the way Gilderoy Lockhart stole the stories he claimed as his victories, by using memory charms. Dumbledore is always trying to use legilimensy on the students, so a step forward to memory charms wouldn't surprise me. He's a coward, hiding behind me as his tool, not the leader of light he likes to project. I'm as much scared of him as I am of Voldemort. He doesn't even stop the children of death eaters from bullying others. The term 'mudblood' is not banned, you know, and they use it freely. And Dumbledore wants me to be his Judas Goat, and that's why he didn't find a way of getting me out of the contest. You go digging out what he's been up to, and I wager you'll find paydirt."

"Wow. Thanks, Mr. Potter, Lord Potter, I should say," said the reporter.

"I wasn't going to make an issue of it as you were polite, but thanks," said Harry.

"You're welcome, My Lord," said the reporter, who was now going to write a much more favourable article about Harry Potter than he had originally intended. Rather than 'The Boy Who Lived – Coward?' as his headline, he now planned 'The Boy Who Lived – Victimised?'

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_The Boy Who Lived – Victimised_

_By Dirk Digger_

_This reporter was fortunate to receive an interview with Lord Harry Potter, and was given the young lord's frank thoughts on the matter. He looked at me with anxious and guileless eyes, the colour of the curse which did not kill him, his smooth, child's face holding worry lines no little boy should have to live with. _

"_It's none of my business why I was kidnapped," he said. "If it was to revive V_ [yes, he uses the name!] then it is a matter for the DMLE. I would disrespect the sacrifice of my parents if I put myself in harm's way." We must remember that Lord Potter, who was forced into receiving his lordship by being involuntarily emancipated [for an article on unbreakable contracts and emancipation see page 5] is only fourteen. Both Lord Potter and Mr. Krum became betrothed during the Triwizard, and this reporter speculates that it was to protect their friends from the machinations of Dumbledore and the death eater he employed, who set up the kidnapping of Lord Potter. It would appear that Dumbledore wanted Lord Potter to face a revived V_. For what reason? Is Dumbledore a secret supporter of this dark lord? Or does he have some twisted belief that young Harry Potter, an innocent, would somehow defeat V_ again just by his shining purity? I have news for you, old man, innocents die in war as well. Lord Potter told me that an unpleasant word for the muggleborn is not banned at school and that certain families get away with using it freely. It makes one wonder."_

"Not bad, pup," said Sirius, reading the article. "You made an impression on him."

"I asked him if he was going to deal with Voldemort. I think it made him think," said Harry. "I also sent him to dig dirt on Dumbledore and see if he obliviated the real killer of Grindlewald, which I don't suppose he did, but it was fun to suggest it."

"I hope he digs up something unsavoury," said Sirius, viciously. "I actually made my peace with Snape before we left, because he's as much a tool of that manipulative old man as you are. I said I'd ask you if it was possible to remove the dark mark using parseltongue. Oh, and he's going to supervise the goblins in harvesting your basilisk for a small cut in ingredients."

"Doesn't it belong to the school?"

"Nope. The right of conquest laws mean it belongs to you. The goblins provided a parselmouth for him to check it out."

"Well, I want some of the profits to go to the victims. Is it still going to be useable?"

"Hell, yes, a creature that magical doesn't quickly decay, especially in a cold atmosphere. Snape sent me an owl that he was actually moderately impressed by your kill. He says pity about the eyes, but under the circumstances he can understand why you would waste the ingredients from them. The estimated value is a million and a half galleons, excluding the skin you'll be using as armour for you and your friends. Snape was almost giggling in joy," he added. "He forgot to be snide at me."

"Well, it's useful," said Harry. "Is it as good as dragonhide armour?"

"It's better," said Sirius. "Even the sloughed skin. It's as durable, spell resistant and tough as dragonhide, but softer and lighter. You can all wear full armour under your robes, and though I kind of trust Karkaroff now, I'll be happier about you all. Even with me in the school."

"I think I have established that I have the fortitude they like people to have," said Harry, "But it would be a relief."

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Durmstrang had shorter long holidays than Hogwarts, but they had two day 'half term' holidays for Samhain and Hexennacht, as Germans called Beltane. Some called it Walpurgisnacht, which led to a lecture from Hermione. That name celebrated St Walburga, who opposed witches, pestilence and whooping cough, and was a bit like English wizards celebrating Matthew Hopkins, the witch-finder general. Sirius laughed and laughed when Hermione told him severely that his grandparents had made the sort of gaffe in naming his mother 'Walburga' as if a Jew had called his son 'Adolf'. She was pleased to be having more school time, of course.

If the half term holidays fell on a Saturday or Sunday, the holiday started midday Friday and continued through Tuesday. However, Harry found he would be expected to be at school in mid August.

"It has been a long year for me," said Viktor. "Last year, I had no holiday to speak of, as I was playing quidditch and the world cup was scarcely over before I had to be back at school. And those of us who wanted to enter the Triwizard were required to do extra work to cover what we would miss. I will be at school for another term to take my exams at Yule. After all, I will not have a career in Quidditch forever."

"What do you hope to do?" said Harry. "I can't help thinking how horrified Ron would be to see you thinking of Quidditch not being a holiday in itself and looking on it as work."

Viktor shrugged.

"He is a silly little boy," he said. "If you do not look upon Quidditch as work, you will never make the big league, nor stay long on a team. Life is not about messing about on a broom. Only dedication brings rewards. Would you play for Bulgaria when I retire if I ask them to look at you?"

"If I'm still alive," said Harry. "A career in quidditch beats being an auror I think; I'm sick and tired of dark wizards."

"Excellent!" Viktor brightened. "Durmstrang's team plays against professional teams, and offers are made on that basis. I am not playing seeker for the school this last term so I will suggest you to the captain. I have seen you fly. And then my colleagues can see you in action."

"Thanks!" said Harry. "Now watch how quickly Dumbledore suggests a quidditch tournament to get me back in his clutches."

"Karkaroff will offer hospitality here," said Viktor. "He is no fool." He thought a moment, and added, "Harry, you need to know detection spells to check that any mail you receive is not tracked or made into a portkey."

"That's possible?" said Harry,

"Eminently," said Viktor.

"I am still then wondering why the whole charade of the Triwizard and the attempted kidnapping, if all Barty Crouch Junior had to was to send an internal mail using a school owl."

A smile touched Viktor's lips.

"Perhaps it was too simple."

"Perhaps," said Harry. "But worth remembering to try on Voldemort himself when I'm old enough – if I am the object of the prophecy."

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The shopping for Durmstrang's fifth year was interesting. Luna was to be in the same year, having convinced Karkaroff that she was capable, and they all shopped together. Existing Durmstrang pupils were impressed by the way they fell into step with each other, and marched down the street, a tactic suggested by Hermione's father. Harry also appreciated Mr. Granger's suggestion that they take up martial arts and practice them daily as well as running to improve stamina. It did no harm to be as good as they could be, to ultimately face Voldemort as well; but that would come at a time of Harry's choosing, not Dumbledore's. He had been glad of Viktor's advice, as his yearly report book had been a portkey, and Harry, handling it with tongs, to the annoyance of the school owl, had placed it in an envelope and forwarded it to the DMLE with a request that he wished to press charges against whoever had usurped an official school communication to attempt to kidnap him.

He was fairly certain that the magical signature would turn out to be that of Dumbledore. Dumbledore was not a happy bunny as Dirk Diggins had discovered Bathilda Bagshot and had written an article about Dumbledore's _affaire_ with Grindelwald. He asked whether any man could kill a lover, even when love was killed by a fatal accident to a family member.

"_Did Dumbledore ever defeat Grindelwald, or has he obliviated the one who did, and is riding on the back of another's victory?"_ he asked. "_He appears to have agreed with Grindelwald's ideals; is he using his status as hero to force through rules to eventually rule muggles, approaching it in a different way? And is his rivalry with Voldemort only over the means not the ends?"_

Dumbledore was furious. He had put aside his finer feelings to confine dear Gellert, because he knew that he was going about things the wrong way. But he could not sue this upstart for libel because once he had agreed with Grindelwald, and indeed to some extent he still did. Muggleborns must be appeased, because muggles were dangerous, but if they were shunted off to the sidelines, they could do no harm and they had been offered every opportunity so their parents could not complain. The Granger girl's revelation that all mudbloods were descended from squib lines was going to stir everything up. (Dumbledore did not know that the idea had originated with Karkaroff, who would have forged a bloodline to get hold of a clever witch like Hermione in his school.) Now the Creevey brothers had demonstrated descent from several pure blood lines, including Malfoy, and keeping Draco in check was hard enough without Colin Creevey going out of his way to call young Malfoy 'dear cousin' at every opportunity. Muggleborns were supposed to be properly grateful to him for magnanimously allowing them to be part of the wizarding world. Not busy revealing themselves as descendants of those who might hold places in the Wizengamot, where they might even vote against him!

And he had heard that Sirius Black, who should never have been free and exonerated, was offering to acknowledge those muggleborn descended from House Black squibs and disowned members, and to make sure they had good jobs when they left school. The whole of society would end up as half-bloods!

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Dumbledore would have been apoplectic had he known that the Grangers had been inundated with owls from several prominent pure blood families in the Eastern and Northern spheres asking whether Hermione had any little sisters or cousins as to be joined to the Dagworth-Granger and Scarpin lines with women as strong as Fraulein [or Gosposa] Granger would be advantageous. Dan Granger discovered that he was a more than able potioneer and corresponded with Severus Snape regarding setting up in business together. It might be said that Snape was sorely tempted, and came on a visit to the Grangers by arrangement to have Harry work on removing his dark mark over Yule.

Harry cast some diagnostics and hissed an interrogative, pulled a face and said in English,

"Did you know you have a number of compulsions on you as well as the crap from the tattoo?"

"No, Potter, I did not; obviously, or I would have removed them," said Snape, waspishly.

Harry hissed a lot, and suddenly Snape was looking at Lily's son, not a mini-me James Potter.

"I am going to kill that old man," he hissed, almost breaking into parseltongue himself.

"No, sir, you are going to check into your inheritance and break him in the wizengamot," said Harry. "What was it – a compulsion to forget I have two parents?"

"Something along those lines," said Snape. "I was friendly with your mother before we started school, and I lost her to Potter. How could he take away my one link to Lily?"

"To isolate me – because your feelings were unimportant," said Harry, sadly. And instead of sneering that it was always all about Potter, Snape nodded.

"I also have lost a compulsion not to look into my mother's family," he said. "So I shall. She was a Prince, and I believe I may be the last Prince."

"An alliance with the houses of Potter and Black would be advantageous," said Harry, instantly.

"And Dagworth-Granger," said Dan.

Snape nodded, curtly.

"And I'll take you up on your offer to fund setting up an apothecary company, Granger," he said. "Your daughter is much like Lily in many ways, and I would see it as a fitting memorial."

And then Harry chanted again, and Snape screamed in agony, and was then sobbing in joy at a clean and unblemished forearm.

"And now we can plot," said Sirius.

Madam Bones had also written that she felt it was not in the best interests of England to incarcerate Dumbledore, as Voldemort was still afraid of him, but she had wrested from him the locations he surmised of a number of horcruxi, and warned Harry that Dumbledore believed that the scar in Harry's head was also a horcrux, and the source of his Parseltongue.

"And that's a load of bollux, Harry," said Sirius. "Your grandfather was a parselmouth and your dad was wild that it had skipped a generation and missed him. He thought the opportunities for winding up Slytherins had been missed out on."

"I can hear him saying so," said Snape, dryly. "Harry. I am a skilled curse-breaker. If we research your scar, now my mind is not fogged by two interfering old men, perhaps you can use parseltongue to adapt the chant you used to remove my dark mark, and I will learn it by rote, piece by piece, to return the favour."

Harry's eyes glowed.

"I could feel a tugging at my scar when I chanted," he said. "And I know where it was, so if I isolate that ... your mark wanted to join with my scar."

"Perhaps we should ask Madam Bones for one of the horcruxi to stick your scar to, to make it easier," said Sirius. "Kreacher!"

There was a pop, and the sullen house elf arrived.

"What does blood traitor master want?" he asked.

"I need you to go and speak to Madam Bones, in private, and ask her for the loan of a horcrux to destroy the one in Harry," said Sirius. "And stick to the words I use."

"Master can destroy Horcruxes? Master can finish what Master Regulus tried to do?"

"What do you mean?" snapped Sirius.

The old elf told him how he had been used by Voldemort to test the defences of his horcrux and how Master Regulus had died to steal it, and how Kreacher had been unable to destroy it.

"My little brother was a hero," Sirius was crying. "Kreacher, no wonder you have been so ill-tempered, living with that thing, and no ability to overcome it. Bring it to me, and then you shall take it to the Department of Mysteries for them to put it through the veil."

Kreacher capered, and then popped away, returning with the locket.

A lot of hissing later, and Snape was starting to get it. Sirius was forbidden to help.

"You speak snake like a dog," said Snape, snidely.

Hermione, however, picked it up well enough to be allowed to help; and soon Harry was the one screaming as black fluid oozed from his scar and a murky black spirit was shoved forcibly into the locket.

An argument appeared to ensue between the two portions of soul in the locket, which burst open with an eldritch screech, and Severus and Sirius both put up hasty shields to protect all present from the two soul pieces, having a punch-up.

Kreacher was cackling with glee, and enacting a little fight of his own,

"Master Harry's horcrux is really putting in the boot!" he said, happily.

The two spirits finally dispersed with despairing wails and all present heaved a sigh of relief.

"Oh well, we can tell Amelia that we have two down," said Sirius.

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Harry found it easier studying without a horcrux and rapidly vied with Hermione for top of the class. Karkaroff was very happy; his top students were going to ace their ZP exams [Zauberkunst Prufung] and make Durmstrang the top school in Europe. Having more exams available, and gluttons for punishment like Harry, Hermione and Luna taking a dozen subjects did not hurt! As to the Dark Arts, the children from England found that common sense prevailed in learning counters as well as how to use the dark arts, and in how to avoid the pitfalls of being seduced by their many-headed mutability. And as the dark arts professor wanted to retire, Severus Snape agreed to transfer to teach as a stopgap, as much to protect himself from Dumbledore and Voldemort as anything else, working on potions for the business he and Dan Granger had set up in Wizarding Berlin as anything else.

And he and Karkaroff could not be summoned through their dark marks, nor tortured through them, as Harry had removed them both. Karkaroff would have walked to the moon for Harry for that alone.

The kids aced their ZPs of course, and when Amelia Bones contacted Harry to tell him that they had a line on the last horcrux, Harry wrote back and told her to move on the snake the moment a flare went off.

It was a twist on the howler developed by the twins, using a portkey as well. Harry wrote to Voldemort, and sent the letter with a common postal owl. He would not risk Hedwig.

And when Voldemort took the letter, which was almost instinctive, not only did the outer layer send off a flare, but it took him directly to the spot Harry, Sirius, Karkaroff and Snape had set up.

And there he landed on a claymore mine, joined to several other claymore mines, in a containment field.

"Rest in pieces, Voldemort." Said Harry

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The Wizengamot hardly knew what had hit it when the kids left school. Dumbledore was impeached, and sacked as headmaster for being a child abuser. Compulsory classes in wizarding culture were instituted for muggleborn and those with muggle upbringing and compulsory muggle culture classes taught by a muggle born for the pure bloods and those raised purely in the wizarding world also in the first year. Those who opted out of both for having a foot in each world still had to pass an exam on each at the end of the first year to prove they were cognisant with both.

Lord Prince, formerly Professor Snape, married Dan Granger's widowed sister and helped Hermione's cousin to enter the wizarding world as well as providing House Prince with a selection of scions to continue the line and to grow into prominent potioneers.

Karkaroff married a pure blood German witch who had once threatened to hex his bits off for being a Death Eater, and learned the joys of domination from the submissive point of view. Hermione did marry Victor, and the Krums remained close to the Potter-Blacks and the Longbottoms, as Neville married both Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones to help perpetuate the Bones family, since when Sirius Black married Amelia Bones, it was found that his experiences with dementors had left him infertile.

Neville was not complaining about the duties laid on him.

**The end.**

_For those people following the series of Bess and the Dragons under my real name Sarah Waldock, I shall be starting to post the draft version of book 4, Bess and the Paying Scholars on my blog MyWritingBlogspot. _


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